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Holly Wreaths Recipe

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★★★★★

4.6 from 63 reviews

Delightfully festive Holly Wreath Cookies made from a rich blend of butter and cream cheese dough, shaped into charming wreaths and decorated with green candied cherries, spicy Red Hots, and red icing bows to create a perfect holiday treat.

Ingredients

Scale

Dough

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

Decorations

  • Green candied cherries, thinly sliced
  • Red Hots candies
  • Red decorating icing

Instructions

  1. Preheat and Cream: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). In a mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, then stir in the vanilla extract to infuse flavor.
  2. Mix Dough: Gradually add the all-purpose flour to the creamed mixture, beating well until a soft dough forms. Ensure the flour is incorporated fully for an even texture.
  3. Shape Wreaths: Fit a cookie press with a star piping tip. Use the press to shape the dough into 2-1/2 inch wreath shapes on ungreased baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart to allow for slight spreading.
  4. Bake: Bake the shaped dough in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, just until the cookies are set and not browned. This gentle baking ensures tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
  5. Cool: Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer them to wire racks to cool completely before decorating. This prevents the decorations from melting.
  6. Decorate: Using red decorating icing, pipe bows onto the wreaths and use the icing as glue to adhere thin slices of green candied cherries as holly leaves and Red Hots candies as berries to create festive accents.

Notes

  • Do not brown the cookies; bake just until set to keep them tender.
  • Make sure the cream cheese and butter are softened to room temperature for easier mixing.
  • You can substitute Red Hots with any small red candy if unavailable.
  • Use a fine star tip on the cookie press for delicate wreath shapes.
  • Decorations can be customized with additional festive candies for personalization.

Keywords: holiday cookies, Christmas cookies, wreath cookies, cream cheese cookies, festive baking

Find it online: https://kitchenbyrita.com/holly-wreaths-recipe/